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Workers' Comp Basics
Workers' Comp Light Duty in Ohio: What It Means and Your Rights
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Written by Dylan Knisley
Dylan has been a practicing attorney since 2015, when he passed the Ohio Bar and joined the family firm.
Published on
June 22, 2026
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
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Going on light duty does not end your Ohio Workers' Comp claim.
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If it pays less, you may be owed working wage loss: two-thirds of the difference.
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A light-duty offer only counts if it fits your doctor's restrictions, so get it in writing.
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Do not quit. If your employer pressures you or stops paying you, call an attorney first.
In Ohio, "light duty" is temporary modified work your employer offers while you recover, kept inside the restrictions your doctor sets. Going on light duty does not end your Workers' Compensation claim. And if light duty pays you less than your pre-injury wage, you may be owed working wage loss benefits: two-thirds of the difference. I've handled a lot of these, and most of the worry I hear comes from two questions: Is my Workers' Comp over now? and Can they make me do this? Here are the real Ohio answers.
What Does Light Duty Mean in Ohio Workers' Comp?
Light duty is temporary, modified work that stays within the medical restrictions your treating physician sets while you heal. You may also hear it called "modified duty" or "transitional duty." It's meant to be a bridge: easier tasks or fewer hours while your injury improves, not a permanent reassignment and not a reason to cut your benefits.
Your restrictions come from your treating physician, not your employer. In Ohio, the doctor documents them on a MEDCO-14 (Physician's Report of Work Ability), which spells out what you can and can't do: lifting limits, no climbing or kneeling, sit/stand limits, or reduced hours. Light duty is only "light duty" if the work actually matches those restrictions.
That distinction matters, because the label doesn't control anything. I tell clients this all the time: light duty is defined by what your doctor allows, not by what the job happens to be called.
Do You Still Get Paid on Light Duty in Ohio?
Yes, and your pay shouldn't automatically drop just because you're on light duty. In Ohio, your employer can only reduce your pay if they reduce your hours, and your hours can only be cut because your restrictions require it or to accommodate them. If your total pay does fall, you may be owed working wage loss benefits under Ohio Revised Code 4123.56(B): two-thirds of the difference between your current earnings and your average weekly wage (AWW).
People assume that because they're working light duty, they just get paid less and that's that. It isn't true. Say you earned $1,000 a week before your injury, and light duty at reduced hours now pays you $700. That $300 gap isn't simply yours to absorb. Working wage loss can pay two-thirds of it back to you, and the same is true whether the cut comes from fewer hours or a lower-paying modified role.
This is also closely tied to whether you get paid at all after an injury, something I cover in "if you get hurt at work, do you get paid."
Can Your Employer Make You Accept a Light-Duty Job in Ohio?
Your employer can offer you light duty, but the offer only counts if it fits your medical restrictions. A valid light-duty job offer is one that conforms to your restrictions. The problem is that restrictions, or the offer itself, can be vague, and that gray area is where most disputes start.
If something about the job offer is unclear or doesn't match what your doctor allows, work it out with your employer, but do it in writing. Keep it in email or text, because if this ever reaches a hearing officer, those messages become your evidence.
What happens if you can't agree
If you and your employer can't resolve it, the employer usually puts the light-duty offer in writing, and the dispute goes to a hearing before the Ohio Industrial Commission. A hearing officer decides whether the offer was valid, and that decision controls your pay:
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If the offer is found valid and you didn't show up for the work, you can be terminated for not working, and you won't be paid for the days you missed.
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If the offer is found invalid, you get paid for each day you missed. The law treats it as the employer simply being unable to accommodate your restrictions.
That's a real fork in the road, and it's exactly why the written record matters so much.
What Happens If Your Employer Has No Light-Duty Work?
If your employer has no work available within your restrictions, you stay home and request temporary total disability (TTD) by filing a C-84 (Request for Temporary Total Compensation). You do not have to go looking for another job, because you weren't fired. Your employer just couldn't accommodate you.
Here's something most injured workers don't realize: your employer has a strong financial reason to find you light duty. When TTD gets paid in a claim, it raises the employer's Workers' Comp insurance costs. So, when an employer pushes hard to put you on light duty, that pressure is usually about their premiums, not your recovery.
Some employers handle it a different way. Instead of letting TTD be charged to the claim, they'll pay salary continuation, where they keep paying your regular wages as if you were still working, even while you're at home recovering. Either way, you should be getting paid. The only question is which path applies.
Can Your Employer Ask You to Work Outside Your Restrictions?
Your employer can ask you to do tasks outside your restrictions, but they cannot force you, and you can say no without being punished for it. If you choose to do the work anyway and you get hurt, you're still covered under the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, but you may end up in a lot more pain, which is why following your doctor's restrictions is almost always the smarter move.
I want to be clear about both halves of that. The protection is real: declining a task that's outside your written restrictions is your right, and it can't be used against you. But the risk is also real: if you push through and aggravate the injury, you've traded a covered claim for more time hurting. Decline the task, and make a note of it.
What to Do If Light Duty Is Making Your Injury Worse
If light-duty work is making your injury worse, even when you're staying inside your restrictions, tell your employer, in writing, that you can't keep doing the specific task because it's worsening your condition. Then call your doctor and ask them to modify your restrictions going forward with an updated MEDCO-14.
The "in writing" part isn't a formality. If you simply stop doing an activity without explaining why, and there's any reason to think you're refusing for a non-work reason, you can put yourself at risk of termination or of not getting paid. A short, dated message that says this task is aggravating my injury protects you and creates a record that lines up with your doctor's updated restrictions.
Can You Refuse a Light-Duty Job in Ohio?
You can refuse a light-duty offer, but it carries real risk: if a hearing officer later finds the offer was valid, refusing can cost you your TTD benefits and even your job. So, this is a decision to make carefully, not reflexively. Because the rules around refusing have several moving parts. The short version: don't refuse on your own. Talk to an attorney first.
When Should You Call an Ohio Workers' Comp Lawyer About Light Duty?
Honestly, you'll want a lawyer well before a light-duty dispute boils over, but the clearest signs that it's time are these: your employer asks you to sign something, gives you a hard time about your restrictions, stops paying you, or makes you want to quit. Any one of those is a reason to pick up the phone.
The most important thing I can tell you is this: don't quit. Quitting is the worst move you can make because it can cut off your right to be paid while you recover. And if you take just one habit from this article, make it this: communicate with your employer in writing, and be the reasonable party in the record. You want to look like the person trying to work it out, not the difficult one.
At Knisley Law, the consultation is free and there's no fee unless we recover for you.
Ohio Light-Duty Workers' Comp FAQs
Sources
· Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). bwc.ohio.gov
· Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4123. Temporary Total Disability Benefits (ORC 4123.56). codes.ohio.gov
· Ohio BWC TTD Benefit Rate Tables (2025). bwc.ohio.gov
· Ohio Revised Code 4123.01. Workers’ Compensation Definitions. codes.ohio.gov
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The information on this blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this blog or contacting Knisley Law Offices does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.